No Lunch Box Allowed???

"Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com" and illustrated by Mark A. Hicks

I recently read this article about a school in Chicago that is banning students from bringing their own lunches to school. You heard right, they are banning the lunch box. This new policy has parents, teachers, school officials, and the general public voicing their opinions on the matter. While health and the rising number of children whom are overweight in America is supposedly the heart of the matter, many are questioning if funding has anything to do with the unusual choice the school has made. However, the debate is: Regardless of the motives behind the decision, Are school lunches and restricting children's calorie count intake by forcing school lunches the correct move?


As a mother of two boys, one picky eater who takes his lunch to school every day and one who prefers the hot lunches offered at school, I find my own opinion leaning towards disagreeing with the new policy. I do agree that there is nothing wrong with making an effort to make our children healthier eaters. To be honest, I could use a few lessons of my own in healthy eating. However I don’t think putting a calorie number on school lunches (since every person’s calorie needs are different) or banning the option of bringing a lunchbox is the answer. Not that I am expert on the matter or that I have all the answers, but I certainly do have an opinion. Maybe the discussions should include offering classes teaching parents to cook in a more healthy manner, as well as pack healthier lunches for their children, ban sodas and candy bars, put a lot more support and funding behind our health classes and the educators who teach them.

All in all, I there is a better solution than limiting the involvement of parents in their children’s lives even in things as small as banning the lunch box from schools. I simply think big pictures wise it is a mistake. However like I stated earlier this is just the two cents of a simple stay at home mother of three little boys. I am by no means an expert!